Medieval methods... (was Re: Got a question....PDP? VAX?)

From: Merle K. Peirce <at258_at_osfn.org>
Date: Wed Mar 17 22:09:03 1999

Any thoughts on how they handled guineas and florins?

On Wed, 17 Mar 1999 Philip.Belben_at_pgen.com wrote:

>
>
> > I gather the machine had some sort of support for doing arithmetic on
> > pre-decimalized currency, does anyone here know what that looked like?
> > It wasn't explained very well in the book.
>
>
> I don't know how the currency was handled on Leo, but as a reference for our
> American friends I shall say a few words on British currency prior to 1971.
>
> The basic unit was the pound. The symbol was the same as nowadays, viz. a
> scripty capital L with two horizontal bars through it (though often only one bar
> is written, for speed) On e-mail I generally use an ordinary L for pound (L
> stands for Livre (french = pound))
>
> King Offa (?9th century) fixed the value of a penny at 1/240 of a pound. Later
> the shilling was fixed at 12 pence. (Pence is the plural of penny, in case you
> hadn't worked it out. "Pennies" is a word coined much more recently (pun
> intended))
>
> So L1 = 20 s. (s stands for solidus (lat. = a silver coin of some sort) or sou
> (Fr. = a coin worth not a lot))
>
> 1 s. = 12 d. (d stands for denarius (lat. = penny) or denier (fr. = penny))
>
> Halfpence (pronounced ha'pence) were in use until 1969 (and re-introduced with
> decimalisation in 1971).
> Farthings (1/4 d) were in use at least until the mid 1940s, and may have been
> required for Leo.
>
> So to computerise the currency you probably need:
>
> A field for whole pounds
> A field for shillings (up to 19 with a carry at 20)
> A field for pence (up to 11 with a carry at 12)
> A field for farthings or ha'pence (up to the obvious numbers thereof)
>
> It would not likely be possible to ignore the fractions of pence, since even as
> late as the 1950s 1/2 d had a reasonable purchasing power, perhaps equivalent to
> one US dime today.
>
> Also, just as they do today, vendors loved prices ending ...nineteen shillings
> and elevenpence ha'penny.
>
> Philip.
>
>
>
>
>

M. K. Peirce
Rhode Island Computer Museum, Inc.
215 Shady Lea Road,
North Kingstown, RI 02852

"Casta est qui nemo rogavit."
              
              - Ovid
Received on Wed Mar 17 1999 - 22:09:03 GMT